Breastfeeding, recommended for optimal infant nutrition, is a wonderful bonding opportunity for a mother and baby. However, it can be a tiresome, uncomfortable and sometimes painful repetitive task without the adequate support. A mother's fatigue and bad posture due to hunching over or lifting the baby in awkward positions over time often lead to chronic pain and distress. Additionally, improper positioning is the reason for most latching-on problems, deterring many mothers from continuing to breastfeed.
Prior pillows intended for nursing infants fail to provide sufficient, comfortable support to properly position the baby in a way to promote good digestion. Most designs provide no incline or a planar surface, such as the well-known Boppy (U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,134, Matthews, 1993). The Boppy, not originally intended for breastfeeding, is rounded, large, and fits around the mother's torso. It lacks the necessary incline to raise the baby comfortably to the mother's breast and does not mimic the natural cradle-hold of a mother's arms. The rounded edges of the Boppy cause the baby to roll toward or away from the mother. The padding is also heavy and bulky making it cumbersome and not easily moved.
Although wedge shape design patents exist, most are not ideal for a number of reasons. The patent provided to Cottrell is a wedge with an exaggerated incline, with an angle of 22-30 degrees, causing the baby to slide down the pillow and consists of straight edges along the elongated body that do not conform suitably to the caregiver's body (U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,347, Cottrell, 2006). In U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,833, issued to Zenoff in 1994, the support pillow has a removable wedge that spans only a portion of the pillow and includes lumbar support that pushes the wearer's back forward, impeding proper posture. An inflatable wedge design for this application is large (20 inches to 30 inches in length) thus does not fit well into narrow seating arrangements. It furthermore lacks the interior curvature depth necessary for comfort with only a 2-inch contour (U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,098, Weber, 1992). In U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,408, issued to Van Vuuren in 2003, the pillow's wedge shape is flanked by two armrests. It may not be moved laterally to adjust the height and furthermore is larger and more cumbersome than the present invention. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,036, issued to Littlehorn, et al. in 2010, the pillow is two pieces, with a removable wedge that attaches to the top of the pillow in the midsection and is flipped for use on the other side; however, this wedge is separate and only spans half of the pillow, thus providing a short elevated surface. Additionally, the edges are rounded so they do not provide sufficient support up to the edge of the pillow where it is needed.
Most notably, all prior nursing pillows fail to provide an outer-ridge support. The lower portion of an outer-ridge supplies the appropriate lift underneath. This means the pillow surface stays level and close to the caregiver and the pillow is more stable, reducing the risk of the pillow and baby falling off of the lap. The need for additional pillow supports or arm strain is eliminated. The upper portion of an outer-ridge serves as a safety border to keep the baby securely on the pillow.
This invention addresses all of these issues, providing support to both mother and baby to promote healthy and natural positioning for comfort, best latch and less reflux.